If you're a regular gym-goer, a marathon or ultra runner, or a fitness fanatic, you'll definitely have heard of the term 'hybrid athlete'.
Taking the fitness world by storm, a hybrid athlete is someone skilled at training in multiple fitness disciplines simultaneously, and they're currently filling up all of our social media feeds.
But what exactly is a hybrid athlete?
Not just another fitness trend, training hybrid is a great way to improve strength, mobility, flexibility and endurance.
In this guide we're focusing on what a hybrid athlete is, how to train hybrid, how to try it for yourself, and the supplements that will help you nail those hybrid fitness goals!
Table of contents:
What is a hybrid athlete?
Can anyone be a hybrid athlete?
How do hybrid athletes train?
How to become a hybrid athlete
The best supplements for hybrid training
What is a hybrid athlete?
Simply put, a hybrid athlete splits their training equally between endurance and strength.
Popularised by fitness influencers such as Nick Bare and Lucy Haldon, whilst in the past, dual-fitness training was seen as counterproductive, hybrid training embraces it, balancing both strength and endurance training in equal measure.
Making training more interesting, hybrid training allows athletes to improve in both disciplines simultaneously and become more well-rounded.
Whilst hybrid training may not suit someone who wants to be a master at one sporting discipline, for those who love fitness and want to achieve goals consistently, being a hybrid athlete has many benefits, such as improving strength and endurance whilst ensuring athletic longevity.
Training hybrid also helps you to expand your fitness horizons, focusing on adding strength whilst pushing cardio.
Can anyone be a hybrid athlete?
In theory, yes, anyone can be a hybrid athlete.
However, hybrid training generally suits those already at an intermediate or advanced level of training in one of their disciplines. Hybrid training puts pressure on the body due to its intense volume, so it's generally better suited to someone who is already adapted to one of their chosen training methods; if you're already good at performing to a high standard in endurance running for example, then you can work on improving and building your strength training alongside that.
That's not to say that hybrid training isn't for beginners. To train hybrid, beginners must build on their disciplines in a slower, more controlled way to prevent injury risk.
How do hybrid athletes train?
Hybrid athletes train for longevity, working on a combination of building muscle whilst honing in on cardiovascular endurance.Training in this way can benefit long-term health; cardio helps to enhance lung capacity, heart health and endurance, whereas strength training helps build muscle strength and mass, which is particularly beneficial as we get older.
Adding stretching and mobility into the mix for a better range of motion completes the foundations that good athleticism and reduced injury risk are built upon.
Hybrid training improves fitness and stamina and helps with flexibility by targeting different muscle groups.
The risks of hybrid training
Whilst hybrid training has many benefits, one of its downsides is that focusing on multiple goals simultaneously increases the risk of overtraining. To avoid this, the best way to approach hybrid training is to have a balanced volume load and adjust this based on your ability to recover.
For example, if you're just starting with hybrid training and already run five times a week, adding heavy weight lifting on top of this volume could result in overtraining. The best way to approach the method in this example would be to decrease the number of days you run and add weight lifting in place of the running instead of on top of it to prevent training overload and the risk of injury.
Increasing and decreasing each discipline based on your focus is the healthiest way to approach hybrid training. If marathon training is your main focus, then during that time, your hybrid approach will be weighted towards running, using lifting to support your overall goal.
Similarly, if you want to focus on your Olympic weightlifting technique, this will take up most of your training, with cardio endurance training used to support the goal, benefitting your overall fitness.
Finally, because you're not focused 100% on one discipline during Hybrid training, this could impact your overall result. However, smartly balancing your training helps to counteract this.
How to become a hybrid athlete
If you're not already training as a hybrid athlete, the best way to start is to carve out an individually tailored hybrid athlete training plan based on your fitness goals.
Your plan should limit fatigue, preventing it from spilling over from one training session to the next (unless that was part of the plan; in ultra running, for example, fatigue is sometimes encouraged to simulate time on feet on race day).
Here are our top tips to consider before thinking about creating your hybrid training plan:
1. How many days can you train?
Start slowly by determining how many days you can commit to your training plan. When adding cardio to strength, you must avoid working overtime, so it's important to consider this when choosing the number of days you plan to train.
For beginners, we'd suggest starting with three days of training and four days for intermediate athletes. Start by seeing whether you can commit to that many days before adding double days into your schedule. Remember, the aim is to limit fatigue.
2. What is your focus?
A hybrid training plan is more likely to succeed if you have a primary focus. A lack of focus can limit progress, so whether competing in a Hyrox competition or running a marathon, you need to decide what it is before dedicating yourself to a plan.
Having a discipline focus will allow you to weight your training towards that discipline e.g. more running in a marathon training block than lifting.
Reassess your training goals every three to six months and adapt your training to match your goals.
If you feel strong enough to include double days during your plan, give your primary focus the primetime slot, when you feel the most awake, at your strongest and the most ready to train.
3. Make rest and recovery an important part of the plan
Multiple discipline-focused training requires proper rest, recovery and refuelling between sessions. Listen to your body and record your training sessions; if you see a drop in your mile splits or find key lifts difficult, you could be overtraining.
Rest, reevaluate and refuel, adding an extra rest day if your body needs it so you can reap the benefits of your training sessions.
Remember to keep at least eight hours between your strength and endurance sessions, split strength and endurance out into separate days and fuel between sessions for best results. Any days focused on long endurance should be kept in isolation during a plan, with strength sessions tailored around low repetitions.
The best supplements for hybrid training
One of the key elements in any hybrid training plan is to support your training with the best supplements that will provide the best results during and post-workout to allow you to get the best training gains possible. Here are our top four recommendations to suit any hybrid plan:
Efectiv Nutrition MPS185
Efectiv's MPS185 is the key product that naturally aids your muscle's protein synthesis. Helping muscle growth and repair, taking one capsule per day can help to naturally enhance your muscle gains and help you get the most out of your heavy lifting days!
Efectiv Nutrition Performance Fuel
Nothing will help you to stay hydrated and perform at your best on those essential double days better than Efectiv Performance Fuel. Its combination of electrolytes and carbohydrates will help keep your energy levels topped up and prevent dehydration-related fatigue, whatever your sport of choice. Add one scoop to your water bottle and drink during your workout.
Efectiv Nutrition Creatine Monohydrate
Improve your strength and power during those intense workouts by supplementing with creatine monohydrate, a raw form of the highest quality creatine. Creatine works by replenishing ATP stores, the body's first energy source. Mix with your protein powder post-workout.
Efectiv Nutrition Performance PeakO2® Mushroom Blend
An organic-certified combination of six adaptogenic, U.S.-grown mushrooms, PeakO2® helps to aid power and endurance while helping the user overcome physical and mental stress. Promoting oxygen consumption during exercise and reducing lactate and fatigue is essential to your hybrid training regime.
Enhance your hybrid workouts with Discount Supplements.
Now you know how to boss your workouts like a hybrid pro, it's time to supplement them in the same way too! Whether you're looking for protein for recovery, pre-workout for an all-important energy boost or vitamins and minerals to enhance your well-being, you'll find everything you need at Discount Supplements from a selection of industry-leading brands. Explore the range today and prepare for your next hybrid training session, whether it's Hyrox, CrossFit, or an Ultramarathon!